Recently Added Articles Page #111

condescend - vocabulary

condescend -verb Three meanings:1. To behave as if conscious of descending from a superior position, rank, or dignity, as in The wealthy art patron, seemingly put upon, condescended to attend the “new art” exhibit.2. To stoop to do something, as ...

connote - vocabulary

connote - verb To suggest or signify something in addition to the primary meaning, as in A hot cup of tea connotes hospitality and comfort. With so many mass-market goods made off-shore, American-made products, which are often more expensive, have co...

consummate - vocabulary

consummate - verb To bring to completion, to fulfill; to complete an arrangement or an undertaking, as in to consummate the deal; to complete a marital union through sexual intercourse.adjectiveHighly skilled, superb, as in a consummate musician; of ...

contemptible, contemptuous - vocabulary

contemptible, contemptuous - adjective Contemptible: Worthy of scorn or disdain, despicable.Contemptuous: Showing or expressing contempt or disdain.Note: One would be contemptuous of a contemptible act. The story unfolds as Liberti's diary, an accoun...

continual, continuous - vocabulary

continual, continuous - adjective Continual: regular or frequent events or occurrences, as in continual trips to the doctor. A good synonym is intermittent.Continuous: uninterrupted in time or space, as in continuous talking by the people behind you ...

contravene - vocabulary

contravene - verb To conflict with, to go against, to deny or oppose, as in He contravened his opponent’s position with an array of data; to violate or transgress, as in She contravened the election laws. The Times also detailed an investment of $3...

corollary - vocabulary

corollary - noun A proposition following so obviously from another that it requires little demonstration. The corollary to Cheney's zealous embrace of secrecy is his near total aversion to the notion of accountability. I've never seen a former member...

correlate, correlative, correlation - vocabulary

correlate, correlative, correlation - verb Correlate: to establish an orderly connection or relation; to have, or stand in, a relation.adjectiveCorrelative: mutually or reciprocally related.nounCorrelation: either one of two related things, especiall...

corroboration, corroborate - vocabulary

corroboration, corroborate - noun Corroboration: the act of making more certain, the act of corroborating. verb Corroborate: to make more certain, to confirm; to strengthen or support with other evidence. A newly released video that was obtained by B...

credence - vocabulary

credence - noun Acceptance as true or valid; belief. A letter found in 1991 by State Archivist David Olson lends credence to another more direct theory [on the origin of “Tar Heels”]. A letter from Maj. Joseph Engelhard describes a fight involvin...

credible, credulous - vocabulary

credible, credulous - adjective Credible: capable of being believed; worthy of belief, as in a credible witness.Credulous: willing to believe too readily; gullible.Note: The term incredulous means disinclined to believe, skeptical. Today's preferred ...

criterion - vocabulary

criterion - noun A standard, rule, or principle by which to determine the correctness of a judgment or conclusion.Note:  The word criterion is singular. Though criterions is an acceptable plural form, most usage panels and writers use criteria as th...

culpable - vocabulary

culpable - adjective Guilty, deserving blame or censure, blameworthy. "You were a full participant, and you were at least equally culpable with every other man sentenced in this case," Hudson told Vick. —U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson sentenci...

cursory - vocabulary

cursory - adjective Rapid and superficial, hasty without noticing details, not thorough. "In India, there is the priestly caste . . . ," "The Arunta, an aboriginal tribe from central Australia . . . ," "In the tongue of the Piscataway Indians who fir...

data, datum - vocabulary

data, datum - noun Facts, statistics, or items of information. Note:Data is a plural of datum, which is originally a Latin noun meaning “something given.” Today, data is used in English both as a plural noun meaning “facts or pieces of informat...

dauntless - vocabulary

dauntless - adjective Fearless, intrepid, bold. For Thought has a pair of dauntless wings.—Robert Frost ”Bond and Free” (1920) Note: You may download the Grammar eBook Build Your Vocabulary and get all 406 vocabulary words. Next Word: dear...

dearth - vocabulary

dearth - noun Scarcity, inadequate supply (usually of something desirable). Reverence is the highest quality of man’s nature; and that individual, or nation, which has it slightly developed, is so far unfortunate. It is a strong spiritual instinct,...

debase - vocabulary

debase - verb To lower in character or virtue, to reduce in value or quality, as in The Fed debased the dollar; to lower in rank, significance, or dignity. Hygiene is the corruption of medicine by morality. It is impossible to find a hygienest who do...

decimate - vocabulary

decimate - verb To destroy a measurable or large proportion of.Note: Originally, decimate meant to select by lot and execute every tenth soldier of a unit. But the current usage of the word, originating in the 19th century, means to destroy a large a...

decorous - vocabulary

decorous - adjective Characterized by dignity, good manners, good taste, appropriateness.Note: Decorum is the noun form. But, by a curious twist, it is not the leadership that is old and decorous that fetches him [the American], but the leadership th...

deduce - vocabulary

deduce - verb To derive or draw as a conclusion by reasoning from given premises or principles. In no department are American universities weaker than in the department of English. The æsthetic opinion that they disseminate is flabby and childish, a...

degradation - vocabulary

degradation - noun Diminution, as of strength or magnitude; changing to a lower or less respected state.Note: Degrade is the verb form. [Former U.S. Sen. David Boren] went on to say that the country's standing in the world has sunk to unprecedented l...

deign - vocabulary

deign - verb To deem worthy of notice or account; to think it appropriate to one’s dignity. No professor, so far as I know, has ever deigned to give the same sober attention to the sermo plebeius [uneducated speech] of his country that his colleagu...

deleterious - vocabulary

deleterious - adjective Harmful or injurious, morally or physically. I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous...

delineate - vocabulary

delineate - verb To represent by sketch or diagram; to trace the outline of; sketch or trace in outline; to represent pictorially, as in She delineated the state of New York on the map with a blue pencil. To portray in words; describe or outline with...